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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture John, But Hrabanus was not canonized as far as I know, so he's not really a "saint" is he? That said, I'm glad you noted his death date! Bill -----Original Message----- From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Dillon Sent: February 4, 2016 8:10 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [M-R] FEAST - A Saint for the Day (Feb. 4): St. Rabanus Maurus medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Rabanus -- sometimes written Germanically as _Hrabanus_ -- Maurus (d. 856) was born in Mainz of noble Frankish parentage. It is often thought that the _Magnentius_ that forms part of his name in the manuscript tradition of his works is an epithet signifying "of Mainz" (anciently _Moguntiacum_). Early in life he became a monk at Fulda, whence in 802 he was sent to Tours for further study under Alcuin. After a year he returned to Fulda, where eventually he became head of the monastic school and then, in 822, abbot. In the early 840s he resigned that office following an imperial regime change and left Fulda. In 847, having been reconciled to the rule of Louis the German, Rabanus was named archbishop of Mainz. In the following year he presided over a synod in Mainz that condemned the teachings on predestination of Gottschalk of Orbais, whose views Rabanus had for some time been working to suppress. In 850 he strove memorably to lessen the effects of a severe famine. Rabanus died in 856 and was buried in Mainz's abbey of St. Alban (of Mainz). We know about him from his own writings and those of several contemporaries, including both his teacher Alcuin and his student and successor at the school in Fulda, Rudolf. The learned Rabanus is best known for his writings, especially the early collection of figure poems _Liber sanctae crucis_, commentaries on many books of the Bible, the encyclopedic _De rerum naturis_, and one form of the hymn _Veni creator spiritus_. Among his many other works is a martyrology. Some period-pertinent images of St. Rabanus Maurus: a) as depicted (at far right; at center, pope Gregory IV) in a presentation illumination in a ninth-century copy of the _Liber sanctae crucis_ (Amiens, Bibliothčques d'Amiens métropole, ms. 223, fol. 2v): http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8452181v/f8.item.zoom b) as depicted (at far right; at center, pope Gregory IV) in a presentation illumination in an earlier ninth-century copy of the _Liber sanctae crucis_ (Wien, ÖNB, Codex Vindobonensis 652, fol. 2r): http://tinyurl.com/gukj6vr http://tinyurl.com/huzmpzj c) as depicted (at far left; supporting him, Alcuin; at right, archbishop Otgar of Mainz) in a presentation illumination in an earlier ninth-century copy of the _Liber sanctae crucis_ (Wien, ÖNB, Codex Vindobonensis 652, fol. 2v): http://tinyurl.com/z7emd92 http://tinyurl.com/zmzcqh4 d) as depicted (author portrait; kneeling before the Cross) in an early or mid-ninth-century copy of the _Liber sanctae crucis_ from either Fulda or Mainz (Paris, BnF, ms. Latin 2422, fol. 29v): http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8490076p/f66.item.r=.zoom e) as depicted (at far left; supporting him, Alcuin; at right, St. Martin of Tours) in a presentation illumination in a mid-ninth-century copy of the _Liber sanctae crucis_ (Cittā del Vaticano, BAV, cod. Reg. lat. 124, fol. 2v): https://www.flickr.com/photos/28433765@N07/3417666175 f) as depicted (author portrait; kneeling before the Cross) in an early eleventh-century copy of the _Liber sanctae crucis_ (Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 9, fol. 24v): http://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/de/bbb/0009/24v g) as depicted (at right; at left, Louis the German), at the prologue to Ezekiel, in a later thirteenth-century bible from Paris (ca. 1250-1300; Den Haag, KB, 76 F 23, fol. 231r): http://manuscripts.kb.nl/zoom/BYVANCKB%3Amimi_76f23%3A231r_init h) as portrayed in a later thirteenth-century portrait bust (ca. 1260-1270) in the Bischöfliches Dom- und Diözesanmuseum, Mainz: http://images.bistummainz.de/1/15/2/11386991212430992.jpg i) as depicted in a hand-colored engraving in an early sixteenth-century edition of the _Liber sanctae crucis_ in the Princeton University Library (Pforzheim: Thomas Anshem, March 1503): http://blogs.princeton.edu/graphicarts/rabanus%20maurus4.html Best, John Dillon ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: unsubscribe medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/medieval-religion ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: unsubscribe medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/medieval-religion